


Purgatory

by arcanesupernova, wifibitz



Series: Always Have Been, Always Will Be - A Series of One-Shots [9]
Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M, Post-Apotheosis (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Purgatory, Ted has to face up or ship out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24385054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanesupernova/pseuds/arcanesupernova, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wifibitz/pseuds/wifibitz
Summary: Ted has been taken over by that blue shit. Now he's confronted by the ghosts of the people he once knew.
Relationships: Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Series: Always Have Been, Always Will Be - A Series of One-Shots [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2099445
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Purgatory

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutely love that Wifibitz and I collabed on this! Please be sure to check her out here or her [tumblr](https://wifibitzz.tumblr.com/)!

It was sudden and sharp, but he couldn't deny the instant wave of relief that followed it. There were no more thoughts of her, the ache in his chest evaporated and was replaced with only the feeling of a greater purpose. For the last two years, in his mind, his greatest purpose in life was to protect her and he couldn't even do that. At least the crushing weight of his own failure had finally lifted.

His body joined with the authoritative man and his followers in attacking Paul and Emma but Ted's mind was a thousand miles away. He was more than happy to give the reins over to something that seemed to have everything figured out. He couldn't figure out what everyone had been so afraid of. This was the only way to live. There was no pathetic pining, no pitiful begging for her to see reason- No. He wasn't going to think about her anymore. She was gone and the singing aliens had seen fit to take the pain away. He wasn't going to dig up old wounds. 

Paul and Emma fled to the chopper, but the devious smile on who he assumed to be General McNamera's face told him everything was going according to plan. If Ted could just talk to Paul, he could reassure him that everything was better this way.

" _ Don't you worry about that _ ," a voice that sounded like a melodic version of his own spoke, " _ We'll get Paul. He won't escape us again. _ "

Ted didn't reply, retreating further back into his mind to avoid any interaction with the alien he was now sharing his body with. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful, no of course not, but the echoes of his guilt were echoing back in as it spoke. Hidgens had spoken of it as if it was going to create world peace but there was malice as it spoke of Paul.

" _ Theodore, do not hide from us _ ," it reprimanded, the voices of Zoey and Sam echoing around his own, " _ You're one of us. You want to see her again, don't you? _ "

“ _ Her? Who’s her _ ?” Ted asked, knowing immediately to whom it referred but he wasn’t thinking about her. Hell, it could mean the Latte Hottay for all he knew.

“ _ Do not play coy with us, _ ” the voice hissed, her voice seeping in. “ _ You’re one of us now, Theodore, we know what your deepest desires are. _ ”

" _ Charlotte? _ " he murmured after a long pause, " _ Is she here? _ "

" _ Oh, Teddy, of course I am _ ," her voice warbled, taking prominence over the others echoing in his mind.

" _ But the Professor- I saw you, he dissected you _ ," he reasoned carefully, not wanting to get his hopes up for something that he thought to be impossible.

" _ My body may be gone, Teddy, but I'm still here. We're a collective consciousness _ ," she assured him, a wave of comfort washing over him before a pang of fear struck through him.

" _ But then- Sam- _ " 

" _ He won't interfere with us here _ ," she assured him, Sam's voice mixing with her's. 

" _ Char-Charlotte, I'm so sorry _ ," Ted cried, or well he would've if he was anything more than his consciousness. Despite feeling relieved, his absent guilt hit him like a truck. 

" _ I'm much happier here, sweetheart _ ," she told him, and he swore if he could've seen her, she would have a smile plastered on her face. He imagined it being the one she wore whenever he made her laugh. Seeing her smile was one of the only things that kept him sane when he was still in control.

" _ I-I know, but I never should've left you- I was just so mad- and with everything- I was going to come back- I was going to apologize, I just needed to cool off but I was too late-"  _ he rambled before the ghost of a hand rested over his mouth.

" _ Teddy, baby, it's okay. I forgive you _ ," she assured him.

He took a moment  to think over everything. How he left Charlotte there with Sam, alone, how he never knew if she loved him, the way she fit into his arms, everything. Everything, including pet names. She never called him “baby,” that was reserved for her husband. 

He started to fight against the hand that was over his mouth. When he broke free he said it. “ _ You're not Charlotte.” _

“ _ Of course I am, baby,”  _ the thing parading around as Charlotte insisted.

“ _ You may have Charlotte’s memories and her voice, but you’re not her.”  _ Ted longed for it to not be true, but there was no denying it. This thing, this… entity only served to take things away from the people it took over.

“ _ Ted, don’t think like that,”  _ it cooed, two hands working up his back to wrap him in a hug. He could smell her perfume. “ _ There, you like that, don’t you?” _ it asked and he felt her nuzzle into his chest.

“ _ Get off of me,”  _ Ted snapped, making his best attempt to push her away. “ _ I want my Charlotte, not your version of her. _ ”

“ _ Your Charlotte is dead and gone, Theodore.” _ The voice was taken over by Sam’s haughty tones. “ _ Then again, she was never really yours to begin with, was she?  _ _ You slither in where you’re not wanted and you take what’s not yours.” _

_“_ _She was more mine than yours, you piece of shit.”_ Ted sneered _. “Not that she ever belonged to anyone, but_ you _made her think she did.”_

_ “Just like you did with my wife, didn’t you, Ted? _ ” Bill’s voice asked, taking over. “ _ You didn’t even love her, did you? You just took her away from me. _ ”

“ _ Bill- _ ”

_ “You’ve ruined so many lives while you were in control,” _ Bill told him _. “It’s doing the world a favor to have you dead and gone.” _

Ted stepped back, shocked from what he had to believe was the truth. He started to lose himself in thought when a feminine voice called out to him. 

“ _ Ted? Ted!” _ The voice called. “ _ Ted, I swear, it's me!” _

What else could he do but respond? “ _ Charlotte?” _ He felt a hand fall softly on his cheek. “ _ Ted, why did you leave me alone?” _

Those words cut deeper and stung more than what had been said before, knowing it was her saying it, not some double. 

“ _ Charlotte, I didn’t- I was angry,”  _ Ted pleaded with the ghost,  _ “I’m sorry.” _

_ “Oh, Teddy, I wish that changed anything. I’m dead now, with your pride to thank for it. _ _ I'm dead, and you killed me. _ ”

“ _ That’s not fair, Charlotte,”  _ Ted bit back at the accusation. “ _ You didn’t follow me, you stayed with your husband even though you knew he was gone. I  _ tried, _ Charlotte.”  _ He felt her arms start to wrap around him like a vine. 

“ _ But you didn't try hard enough. You could've taken my hand and walked me down, then I wouldn't be so  _ **_blue_ ** _ ,”  _ she laughed at her own sick joke.

“ _ I can’t make you do anything, Charlotte, that choice is on you, not me.”  _ Ted’s collar was hot, or it would’ve been if he still had one. “ _ Same goes for you, Bill, maybe if you would have been more attentive to your wife’s needs she wouldn’t have come to me for some relief. I’m not a good person, but I’m not the source of all of your problems. I’m just where your problems come to cry.” _

Charlotte’s voice came up again.  _ “The only problem you ever faced with me was your need to fix me, Teddy. I was content to leave it as the last time but you always came crawling back, desperate to fill that part of you that needs to be needed. You were the one who came to cry”  _

Ted couldn’t respond. His voice hitched in his throat and his eyes burned. She was right, she was always right about him. He crumpled to the ground, prepared to accept his punishment for his misdeeds when the world around him shifted and he heard another voice.

“CCRP Technical, this is Charlotte, how can I help you?”

He was back in the office, with Paul lecturing Bill about the printers to his left and Charlotte desperately trying to win Sam’s affection to his right. She put down the phone, and he put his hand on her shoulder, telling her “I won't leave you, not this time.”

She grew confused, and hushed him before anyone could question it. She meant the affair. He meant that the apotheosis was upon them. 


End file.
